Local Youth Enjoy Community Missions Kids Café

As spring approaches, a sense of renewal has been established here at Community Missions. A past program for children in the local community has been re-established. Kids Café, now offered to children up to age 12 and their families, is a program providing entertainment for families in the Niagara region, free of charge.  

Kids Café was established over a decade ago as a summer and afterschool program focused upon providing educational support and recreation to youth. Over time, the program evolved to be more recreational, providing opportunities to participate in crafts, sports, and games on weekends. Today, Community Missions continues this aspect of the program, holding Kids Café approximately one Saturday per month and exciting activities for kids.

The first Kids Café this year took place on February 28. Youth in grades Pre-K-8 enjoyed a game of bingo while also earning coveted prizes such as stuffed animals and books. United Healthcare attended with a large trivia wheel, quizzing children on their knowledge of health and, in turn, granting prizes for correct answers dealing with nutrition, wellness, and dental care. Meanwhile, Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Buffalo, Inc. provided adults with a presentation on budgeting and saving.

The most recent Kids Café of the season was an Easter Egg Hunt held on March 21 in the Mission's Community Room. Forty-five children were in attendance, along with their families, to spend an afternoon collecting eggs filled with candy and exchanging other special eggs for toys such as stuffed animals, dolls, puzzles, and books. Both children and adults enjoyed partaking in a snack of pizza, oranges, and juice, while also coloring Easter-themed coloring pages.

The third Kids Café planned for this spring will take place on April 11 from 12:00-1:30 p.m. This month's activity will be a craft in which youth will make Chinese lanterns with construction paper. Again, snacks will be provided by Community Missions. Community Missions is excited to once again provide this service to young children in the local community and plans to continue holding Kids Café on a monthly basis with a wide variety of activities.